


Mortality

by orphan_account



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-12
Updated: 2015-09-12
Packaged: 2018-04-20 08:20:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4780376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amethyst comes to terms with aspects of her immortality.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mortality

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place at some indeterminate point in the show's future. Steven is an adult here.

Steven's flip-flops clicked loudly in the silent, sterile hospital hallway. Two nurses in pale green scrubs looked up from their clipboards, glaring at him as he passed. He tried to give them a smile. They weren't having it, though, and continued to glare at him until he turned a corner. Steven wasn't surprised - if he worked at a hospital, the dreariness would probably get to him, too.

Steven pushed open a set of large, metallic-grey doors. They swung open silently, revealing a large, mostly empty room with the occasional cluster of chairs and magazine racks. This room, despite having furniture and people, looked washed out and nearly colorless. Steven realized it was because of the lights - the harsh fluorescents that snaked across the low ceiling of the room drained everything it touched of color.

In the back of the room, however, there was a splash of purple and silver and black, legs too short to reach the floor, eyes half-focused on a magazine. A large, purple gem lay embedded in her chest, though that too appeared washed out.

Steven called out to her. Amethyst looked up from her magazine. She hopped out of the chair, the magazine loudly falling to the ground. She ran up to him, hugged him tightly, looked up at him, her eyes full of hope. "What did she say?" she asked.

Steven's expression must have given it away, for Amethyst's eyes began to blur and she looked away. Amethyst detached herself from Steven and wordlessly started to head for the entrance of the hospital.

"Amethyst," Steven called out.

If she heard him, she ignored him. The glass doors slid open silently as Amethyst stormed through them. Steven followed after her.

Amethyst had made it out to the courtyard that extended around the entrance of the hospital. The courtyard was composed of low shrubbery and wooden benches encircling a concrete walkway that bridged the hospital and parking garage. Only the occasional lamppost provided illumination against the overcast nighttime sky above, bathing everything in a warm, pale orange. Amethyst was seated at one of the benches, head in her hands, and Steven could hear her crying as he approached.

Steven sat down next to her, the bench creaking slightly under his weight. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Amethyst?"

Amethyst jerked her shoulder away from Steven. She said something Steven couldn't understand. "What?" he asked her.

Amethyst pulled her hands away from her face and glared up at Steven. "I said she's going to _die_ , Steven. She's going to _die_ and you won't help her."

"That's not true," Steven responded, "I offered to help. She said no."

Amethyst shook her head. "So then why didn't you, I dunno, spit in her drink?" she asked as she wiped a tear from her eye.

Steven grimaced. "Eww. And no, I'm not going to heal someone if they don't want it."

"Well then-" Amethyst ran her hands through her hair, scrunching in up into bunches. "Okay, then we just sneak some water from Rose's Fountain into her drink. Or maybe Pearl can put it in her IV line or something. Or-"

"Amethyst, you're not listening to-"

"No," Amethyst stood up on the bench, so they were eye level, and jabbed a finger into Steven's chest. " _You're_ not listening to _me_. Vidalia is going to _die_. The stupid cancer in her is going to eat her inside out and she's going to be _gone_. And we can help her - you can help her."

"What, so she can live for another five, maybe ten years?" Steven asked, his voice rising. "Am I supposed to keep her alive for you forever?"

"I-" Amethyst pulled away slightly. "You humans live such short lives and then you're just gone." A light breeze picked up, ruffling Amethyst's long hair. "And I don't want that to happen to Vidalia. Not like this."

"I understand, but she said no."

Amethyst suddenly grabbed Steven's by his shoulders, gripping them tightly. Tears were welling in the corners of her eyes. " _Why?!_ " She half-screamed, half-sobbed, her voice echoing throughout the courtyard.

Steven looked away, unsure of how to answer her. He could just repeat what Vidalia told him, that she knew her time was up and that, if this was the end, she didn't want to augment it with magic or anything. But would Amethyst understand? _Could_ she understand? How could a being who had seen her friend's lifespan come and go dozens of times over understand that kind of logic?

Amethyst broke down, collapsing into Steven's embrace. Steven held her tightly, letting the sounds of her sobs and the low hum of the lights above fill his ears.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Headcannon: Steven develops a strong ethical sense concerning his healing abilities and when to use them. More specifically, if people refuse his ability, he will oblige.
> 
> This scene came to mind immediately after I saw _Onion Friend_ for the first time. I'm sure Rose had to deal with this with all the 'friends' she apparently picked up over her time on Earth (hence her 'your life is short and you should go have fun' line in _Story for Steven_ ). It's a shame she's not here to help Amethyst through this. At least Rose would have experience to draw on.


End file.
